1) The species I chose for this assignment are dogs and cats. The domestic variety, specifically. I chose them because I could actually hands on learn in this situation as I have both a dog and a cat. The trait that I am exploring is their whiskers. Both dogs and cats have whiskers. For cats, whiskers help them feel their way around. If it is night time they use them as feelers to see what is around them so they dont bump into anything. Their primary use, however is to help them judge wether or not they will fit through an opening. If they are trying to get away from another animal and want to dive through a hole in a fence, their whiskers will help them do so. Cats whiskers are very long and they are rooted deep in the cats face. They are not just "surface hairs". They are an integrated part of the cats body. A dog uses their whiskers in the same way. However, in the case of my dog and cat..my dogs whiskers are a LOT shorter than my cats. His hardly come off of his face..and he is a really big dog. This tells me that dogs are probably not as dependent on this "safety feature" as cats are. The common ancestor between dogs and cats is not known but what is verified is that after the Order Carnivora appeared it split off into two suborders - "Feliformia"-(cat like) and "Caniformia" (dog like).
Ford the Boxer
Bix...the angry cat. (He wears a pink collar because hes fabulous.)
2) The species I have chosen for the Analogous trait comparison are frogs and ducks. Both frogs and ducks have webbed feet. Both of these animals are water animals. They rely on being able to use swimming as part of their transport and as a source of food. Being able to swim quickly is imperative to their survival. I couldn't find any link between them except for the widely known ideal that birds and reptiles are related. But a frog is not a reptile, it is an amphibian.
I loved the information on what each animal uses the whiskers for. I never knew that a cat used them on a daily basis and it was used as sizing tool for themselves. The differences between the frog and the duck, and how they both use them for the same purpose but both animals have nothing to do with each other. Great information.
ReplyDeleteYou did a really good job on your post! I really liked the pictures and I love cats and dogs. I had trouble finding a common ancestor for my analogous species' trait too, so I ended up not listing one. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteIt’s pretty cool how carnivora split off in to two different directions and latter on down the line seemed to produce two animals like cats and dogs that are so similar to one another in temperament and lifestyle. Both in the wild (wolves and big cats) are rulers over their prospective territories, they are both social and have a hierarchy, both are wonderful hunters. The domesticated varieties both make the best pets. No wonder we love them. We respect them for their fierce hunting capabilities, we worship them for their strength and beauty, and we love them for their capacity to love us back. Good job on your choice of animals.
ReplyDeleteFrogs and ducks are so different and yet their environment shaped them to have similar characteristics like webbed feet. This makes me think of our search for other life in the cosmos. I can imagine that if we encounter a planet like our own (having water, wind, relative gravity, sunshine, etc.), that the creatures there may display convergent evolution and be similar to us due to the same forces of nature that shape organisms.
Excellent comparison on the whiskers! And good job finding an approximate common ancestor for the two. Loved your "fabulous" pets!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the webbed feet as well but I would have liked you to dig a little more into the common ancestor issue. Yes, a frog is an amphibian and a duck is a bird, so how far back would you have to go to find a common ancestor? Back farther than reptiles? Amphibians? Back to fish?
Fun post!